DIY Thanksgiving Decoration – Pumpkin Votive Candle Holder

Here is a simple Thanksgiving decoration idea using mini pumpkins, floral U pins, and clear glass hurricane shades! Simply snap off the stem of each pumpkin being used. Then place a votive candle in each depression where the stem used to be. You could even try using a battery operated flameless votive candle for a safer and longer lasting candle Take your clear glass hurricane shade and cover the votive candle. To ensure that the clear glass hurricane shade stays in place, use the floral U pins around the base of the clear glass hurricane shade. Now you have your own organic votive holder to illuminate any autumn table setting!

Quick Halloween Centerpiece using Artificial Blackbird Crows

Here is a great centerpiece idea or a quick last minute outdoor decoration to greet your trick-or-treaters! This simple pumpkin idea uses one of our customers favorite birds… the artificial black crow! For this easy project you will need one fairly large pumpkin, a knife, one 1/4″ wood dowel rod, pencil sharpener (optional), raffia, a paintbrush, Apple Barrel white acrylic paint, Apple Barrel black acrylic paint, and three artificial black crow.

First, you will need to cut a circle in the lower half of the pumpkin as the picture shows. Next, cut a piece 5″ piece from one of the wood dowel rods and sharpen one end with the pencil sharpener. You can also just use your knife to sharpen the end but be careful when doing so. Paint the wood dowel rod with the Apple Barrel black acrylic paint and then let it dry. You can then use the Apple Barrel white acrylic paint, and paint white dots along the wood dowel rod by dipping the handle of the paintbrush into the paint. Let dry. With the sharp end of the wood dowel rod, place the wood dowel rod into the pumpkin just below the circle you cut out. Now you can attach your artificial black crow onto its wood dowel rod perch. Place the remaining two artificial black crow anywhere on top of the pumpkin. You can make your sign out of wire and construction paper. You can also make paint an unfinished wood sign and hang it with a piece of wire. Finally, just fill your cut out circle with raffia!

Spider Pumpkin Tealight Candle Holder Using Pipe Cleaners

Here is a quick and simple way to make your own Halloween decorations! Create your own creepy crawly spider pumpkin tealight candle holders with pipe cleaners.

Materials Needed:
Mini Pumpkin
Knife
Spoon
Tealight Candle (we recommend battery operated flameless tealight candles)
Weldbond Universal Glue
4 – Black Pipe Cleaners

Instructions:
To make this spider pumpkin tealight candle holder with pipe cleaner legs simply scoop out the middle of a mini pumpkin and then place a tealight candle in the hole. You may want to try the battery operated flameless tealight candles for a safer and longer lasting candle. Next, take four black pipe cleaners and cut them in half. Bend each black pipe cleaner and shape them to look like spider legs. Finally, take your Weldbond Universal glue and glue your black pipe cleaners to the upper part of the mini pumpkin. Now you’re ready to decorate!

Design Pumpkins Using Metal Cookie Cutters

You can use metal cookie cutters to add a new spin on an old tradition when it comes to “carving” pumpkins! To create this unique look is pretty simple, you will need to find pumpkins of unusual mix and match colors which should be available at any of your local nurseries or pumpkin farms. You may also want to buy a few extra pumpkins that you will just use for extra shapes of a certain color.
Before you begin using the metal cookie cutters, carefully cut a circle around the pumpkin stem, lift off the lid and remove the seeds from the lid and inside the pumpkin. Now it’s time for the fun part, using the metal cookie cutters! Take the metal cookie cutter of your choice and press the metal cookie cutter into the pumpkin. You can use a small piece of plywood to provide even pressure on the metal cookie cutter and press the cookie cutter straight through the inside of the pumpkin if it is thin. If this doesn’t work because your pumpkin is a bit thicker you can try using a rubber mallet, tap the metal cookie cutter firmly until at least half of the cookie cutter has pierced the pumpkin. You can then remove the metal cookie cutter with a pair of long nose pliers. Once the metal cookie cutter has been removed, you can then take a small serrated knife and follow the pattern made from the cookie cutter to cut out the shape. With one hand inside the pumpkin, push out cookie cutter shape from the pumpkin. Repeat this process with the your pumpkins of different colors. Finally, you can take the different color shapes made from the cookie cutter and place them in a different color pumpkin.

How to Etch Pumpkins with Wood Carving Tools

Pumpkins and gourds are essential for the fall season and make perfect decorations for any table or outdoor setting. Traditional carving and “degutting” of a pumpkin can sometimes be time consuming and messy. This step-by-step instructional video will show you how to create a new look with an old concept. For this etching pumpkin project you will need a nice sized pumpkin of your choice either orange or white, painter’s tape, black flat spray paint, regular white chalk and wood carving tools.
Instructions:
1. Take your pumpkin and cover the stem up with your painter’s tape.
2. Next, take your pumpkin outside and cover the entire pumpkin with a light layer of the black flat spray paint.
3. With your regular white chalk draw any design you wish on your now black painted pumpkin.
4. After you have drawn your design on your pumpkin, take your wood carving tools and start etching away! You can etch with your wood carving tools just on the surface to get the orange to show or you could etch deeper to get a paler yellow look. Instead of drawing a design on your pumpkin you could also etch using your wood carving tools just along the natural ridges of the pumpkin, creating a stripe design.
5. You can leave your now etched pumpkin as is or you can cut off the top of the pumpkin and hollow out the inside like you would for a traditional pumpkin. But this is no traditional pumpkin, instead, you place a vase that is the right size for that pumpkin and you now you have a pumpkin vase. You can also use this idea for silk florals if you don’t want to mess with real flowers. Instead of a vase you could use a green floral foam block and arrange your silk florals as you wish.

This video and any provided information are purely instructional. We are not liable from any events during the completion of the project, nor make any guarantees on the final state of the said project. This video is copyright of Meredith Corporation.

Try playing with different colors of spray paint for a whole new look!